For myself, I love the dramatic diagonals and white-on-red of the composition—and the contrasting perspectives of the two bowls which highlight the “ascent” up the snow-coloured scarf.

Now, still-lifes aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but this brief description by Sherri Tracinski of a still-life involving a suitcase and a vase comes as close as any explanation I’ve seen to explaining their appeal:

"These fine details and contrasts of texture surround us in the world everyday, in the objects of our everyday lives. It is the invaluable skill of the still-life painter to highlight those contrasts, to heighten our awareness of them, and to show us all of the beauty the objects in this world have to offer."

Explaining this one above, the excited Newberry says (hell, why wouldn‘t he be excited when he’s just finished a piece like this),

“The Tibetan white silk prayer scarf was given to me from my friend Jennifer Jordan, she wrote and produced the National Geographic special, The Woman of K2. Like the mountain climbers that reach for the highest peeks, freedom comes with a cost of blood.”

And just quietly, being “signed” today means it’s on the market today . . .